NOTICE: This is an older course recorded with Adobe Connect and/or Vimeo recordings. We are currently working to replace the recordings with new Zoom recordings.  Please don't hesitate to email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com with any questions.

Instructor Access (Optional grading support) is available for this course. Please note: this is ONLY recommended if you wish to write the optional paper. All quizzes are internally graded in this course. Optional papers will be completed via this page (click here) for an Instructor Access fee of $75.

How to get the most out of Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (American Classics Series) with Dr. Henry Russell:

• First, read the course details below and purchase or borrow the book.

• Prepare a notebook for notetaking and homework.

• Students begin the course by clicking on the "Recording" and watching Dr. Russell's lecture for Class One.

• Complete the Quiz. Answer Key is provided for self grading or to be graded by a parent.

• The reading for each week can be found in that week's module.

• If you need review, go back and watch the recording again and/or go over the PowerPoint.

• Repeat until all 6 classes are complete.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records. Make sure to record your grades (HSC does not provide record keeping services).

Total Classes: 6

Prerequisite: Ability to enjoy reading and discussing the works

Suggested Grade Level: 10th to 12th or college

Suggested Credit: ½ semester credit

Instructor: Henry Russell, PhD

Course Description: Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop is one of the few American novels radically to appreciate and celebrate the Catholic culture of the American Southwest that long pre-dated the settling of Plymouth Massachusetts.

This is a relatively short novel built on the life of the first (French) Archbishop of New Mexico. The novel is constructed around multiple journeys: from the cultivation of the Old World to the beautiful yet primitive New World; from a region that was Indian and pagan, that becomes Spanish and Catholic, only to be forced into the United States; from the West of Kit Carson to a region of cities and towns; from being an outsider in a strange land to becoming one with the land; from a slightly sceptical view of saints and miracles to a keen sense of God’s Providence to the American world.

At all times the glowing beauty of the American Southwest and of heroic piety upholds the narrative and the reader. This is one of the great Catholic books ever written by one who did not, as far as we know, formally enter the Church in her life here on earth.

Course Materials: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Will Cather

Homework: Dr. Russell provides quizzes and essay topics to be graded by the parent. Answer keys provided.

©2011 Homeschool Connections and Henry Russell, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

This course is designed by Henry Russell, Ph.D.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.

Technical Help: If you experience technical difficulty with watching the recorded classes or have a question about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.